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New Album - Universal Favorite - Available Now

Out now on Rounder Records, Universal Favorite is an honest-to-goodness solo album from Punch Brothers' Noam Pikelny, performed with no band or accompaniment. You can order CD, vinyl, and a new t-shirt designed by Matt Diffee in the official shop or get a digital copy below.

Track list:

  1. Waveland

  2. Old Banjo

  3. Sugar Maple

  4. Folk Bloodbath

  5. Hen of the Woods

  6. My Tears Don’t Show

  7. The Great Falls

  8. Moretown Hop

  9. Sweet Sunny South

  10. Redbud

  11. Bye

  12. I’ve Been A Long Time Leaving’ (But I’ll Be A Long Time Gone)

Tour Dates

 


with Punch Brothers

 

Videos

Past Albums

Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe (2013)

IBMA Album of the Year and Grammy-nominated concept album offering a unique interpretation of traditional Bluegrass through a bold, complete adaptation of one of the most influential instrumental bluegrass records of all-time.

Produced by Gabe Witcher, featuring Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Ronnie McCoury (mandolin), Bryan Sutton (guitar), and Mike Bub (bass).

Track List:

  1. Road to Columbus

  2. Brown County Breakdown

  3. Lonesome Moonlight Waltz

  4. Jerusalem Ridge

  5. Monroe’s Hornpipe

  6. Cheyenne

  7. Big Sandy River

  8. Stoney Lonesome

  9. Mississippi Waltz

  10. Wheel Hoss

  11. Fiddler’s Pastime

  12. Ashland Breakdown


Beat The Devil and Carry A Rail (2011)

The Grammy-nominated 2nd album from Punch Brothers banjoist, Noam Pikelny, featuring Tim O’Brien, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Chris Eldridge, & Mark Schatz, with Special Guests: Steve Martin, Chris Thile, Aoife O’Donovan, & Bryan Sutton. Produced by Gabe Witcher.

Track List:

  1. Jim Thompson’s Horse

  2. My Mother Thinks I’m a Lawyer

  3. Fish and Bird
    (featuring Aoife O’Donovan)

  4. Cluck Old Hen
    (featuring Steve Martin)

  5. Boathouse on the Lullwater
    (featuring Jerry Douglas)

  6. Bear Dog Grit
    (featuring Chris Thile & Bryan Sutton)

  7. Day Down

  8. Milford’s Reel

  9. Bob McKinney
    (featuring Tim O’Brien)

  10. Pineywoods

  11. The Broken Drought

  12. All Git Out


In the Maze (2004)

Noam Pikelny’s 2004 solo debut album. Backed by Matt Flinner, David Grier, Todd Phillips, and fellow Punch Brother, Gabe Witcher.

Track List:

  1. Speed Bump

  2. Super Grouper

  3. Millvale Waltz

  4. ManChicken

  5. Orange Front

  6. For Pete’s Sake

  7. In the Maze

  8. Flight of the Green Chair

  9. Charlie’s Song

  10. Overland

About

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NOAM PIKELNY has emerged as the preeminent banjoist of his generation. He is a founding member of Punch Brothers, a 3-time Grammy Nominee and was awarded the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass in 2010. 

Universal Favorite is the fourth record Noam Pikelny has released under his own name, but it’s truly his solo debut. His previous solo efforts—including 2014’s landmark Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe—were full-band affairs that revealed his abilities as a dynamic bandleader while reinforcing his reputation as an inventive accompanist. The new release features only the man himself, playing lovely originals and covers that showcase his unique approach to the instrument and compositional flair. He recorded them live in the studio without accompaniment, coaxing a wide array of sounds and colors out of his instruments, embracing the challenges and exploring the new possibilities of the solo setting. And, for the first time in his career, Pikelny even sings. It turns out he has a striking deadpan baritone that conveys humor and melancholy in equal measure.

This album, he says, “is the most personal statement I’ve put forward. The setting couldn’t be more stark and I think it lays bare my musical core. Most importantly, it’s an incredibly honest solo album, in that there are honestly no other people on this record other than me.“

(Photo by Justin Camerer)